Specialty FocusTop Stories

‘A promising find’: edible mushroom could help treat dementia

An edible mushroom which has shown to enhance memory and boost cell growth could help to treat and prevent dementia, a new study has suggested.

Researchers from the University of Queensland investigated an active part in the 'lion's mane' mushroom and found it promoted neuron projections and connectivity to other neurons.

The edible fungus has been used in Asia for centuries to relieve mild depression and anxiety, reduce heart disease risk and fight off dementia.

"While this mushroom is seen as traditional medicine, we wanted to determine how it affected the brain scientifically," co-researcher Professor Frederic Meunier said.

"We found that the active compound Hericium erinaceus significantly impacted neural growth and, consequently, improved memory."

Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease affecting brain functioning, where the primary symptoms are memory loss, impaired logical thinking and daily functioning.

Australia's peak body on the disease, Dementia Australia, called it a 'global epidemic', where it's estimated that by 2050, over 150 million people will be living with dementia.

In Australia, over 400,000 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2022.

Over half of the 244,000 people in residential aged care have dementia.

The group often requires specific needs to address issues such as wandering and mood swings, which can be more challenging for staff and providers to deliver.

However, clinical medicine to prevent and treat the disease has yet to be discovered, and the drugs available focus mainly on managing symptoms.

Earlier research on the lion's mane revealed that its active parts had protective qualities against cognitive decline due to ageing.

"We found in our research that the fungus greatly increased the size of growth cones, which are important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons," Meunier explained.

Co-author Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol said the discovery offered promising results that could potentially treat and protect against neurodegenerative cognitive disorders.

"Our goal was to find bioactive substances from natural sources that could enter the brain and control the growth of neurons, enhancing memory formation," Martinez-Marmol said.

"It's a promising find that helps unravel the lion's mane secrets and offer possible solutions to treat dementia."

Do you have an idea for a story?
Email: [email protected]

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button